From the kitchen to the racetrack and back again

Pig and poultry salad

Otherwise known as chicken and bacon salad, although the salad to meat ratio was not particularly high so this is not a healthy option! No specific measurements are below as you can use as little or as much of each to suit your taste.

First of all I pan fried the bacon until fairly crispy. This is my default bacon preference anyway but it also works better in salad when it is crispy and salty. Put this to one side but keep all that bacon fat in the pan ready for croutons later.

Next step is to stir fry the chicken, cut into strips roughly the same width as a finger. Once this is under way cut and slice the salad elements to your liking and either mix in a bowl or layer up on a plate. Make sure your chicken isn’t burning or getting overdone!

Get a pan of water to boiling point and then add eggs, these will be less likely to crack if you have taken them out of the fridge and got them up to room temperature. We tend to use medium or large eggs and I cook them on just under a rolling boil for three and a half to four minutes depending on size. As soon as they are done, place in cold water immediately and put to one side until you are ready to peel them.

When the chicken is nearly done, add some sliced mushrooms and stir fry these too. Remember that bacon fat? Take some bread and cut it into cubes of about 1cm, then fry in the bacon fat, adding extra butter or oil if needed. Add a good helping of black pepper.

Hopefully at some point you’ve found some time to peel the eggs and they are sufficiently cooked. They will be soft boiled using the timings above which works for me and my hob!